Privacy, Affiliate Links, Cookies: This site uses cookies, including to identify the country you are visiting from and to measure traffic to third-party sites.

I invest a lot of time and money into running this site, and I use affiliate links to help get a little of this money back. If you click on an affiliate link and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission. These affiliate providers use cookies to understand the referrals I've made and whether an ad was shown. These cookies do not reveal your identity, web use, or other behaviour.

By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies. To learn more about what cookies are stored and how they're used, you can find my Privacy Policy here:
Privacy Policy

Fearless Female Fighters

Wednesday was International Women’s Day, in case you were living under a rock. Women around the world are slowly realising equality, but there is still a long way to go. The World Economic Forum believes equality will only be achieved in 2186. That’s 169 years from now!!!

Last week was World Book Day, and one of the books featured was Dead of Night, a novella in Michael Grant’s Front Lines series. This series explores an alternative history, one in which American women and girls fought on the front lines during World War II.

I wanted to combine these two special March days to talk about a few incredible women from around the world that not only fought alongside men but also led the charge in war. Women are often thought of as too weak for the violence of battle, but these women prove that wrong. I found so many while researching this, and here are just a few that stand out!

Female Fighters

Boudicca

By tamiart on DeviantArt

I first learned about Boudicca from the game series Civilization, which just goes to show that gaming can be educational. Boudicca was right to be one of the leaders you could play in the game. After the death of her husband, she led her British Celtic Iceni tribe and a number of others in c.60AD to revolt against the Roman Empire’s occupying forces of Britannia. While the revolt may have failed, and she may have died shortly after, the forces under her leadership took down a number of settlements (including modern-day Colchester and London) and killed 70,000-80,000 people. Yes, this woman faced the great Roman Empire and gave them a run for their money.

Wonder Woman

I thought it was only right to feature Wonder Woman given her movie is being released in June! She is the daughter of Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons and Zeus (if you go by more recent comics), making her a demigoddess. She has extensive training in hunting, fighting, and strategy, as well as an advanced understanding of psychology, some psychic powers, and the ability to speak all languages. Wonder Woman may be trained in violence, but what makes her particularly special is that she believes in peace and love and helping others, as well as truth and justice.

Tomoe Gozen

Woodblock print by Yōshū Chikanobu, 1899

You know about Japanese samurai, but did you know that there were onna-bugeisha – female samurai? Tomoe Gozen fought in the Genpei War between 1180 and 1185 for the winning Minamoto samurai clan. She was known for being both beautiful and strong, showing girls don’t have to choose between one or the other!

Vhalla Yarl from Air Awakens

No list about badass women would be complete for me without mentioning Vhalla Yarl from the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova! Starting as a library apprentice, Vhalla must learn to fight, becoming a powerful force to be reckoned with throughout the series.

She’s not the only fantastic female in this world. Kova created a number of incredible women, each with their own personality, but each strong in their own right. This also extends into her other series, the Loom Saga, which again has complex, strong women. If you want kickass ladies, make sure to read Kova’s work!

Septimia Zenobia

Zenobia was queen of the Palmyrene Empire (now Syria) in the third century AD. After her husband died, she became regent of her son but was effectively the ruler during his reign. While in power, the empire was expanded to encompass parts of the Roman East and Egypt. She was pretty amazing, encouraging intellectualism and stably ruling multiple ethnicities and cultures. (Seriously, read up on her. Amazing.) Even today, she is recognised by Syria as a heroine and has appeared on banknotes.

1998 Syrian banknote featuring Zenobia

Bà Triệu

Meet Vietnam’s Joan of Arc, a 3rd century female warrior who led a band of Vietnamese men to rebel against occupation by China’s Wu state. Her brother initially tried to discourage her from fighting the Chinese, but he joined her after she said (in Vietnamese, mind you):

I only want to ride the wind and walk the waves, slay the big whales of the Eastern sea, clean up frontiers, and save the people from drowning. Why should I imitate others, bow my head, stoop over and be a slave? Why resign myself to menial housework?

This badass woman reportedly rode war elephants. Pretty cool, if you ask me. In the end, because she had a small force compared to the Chinese, she was defeated, but she did manage to hold them off for half a year!

Can you think of any other badass military women, either historical and fictional? Are there any outstanding women of action leading right now that you think others should know about? Share in the comments!

Follow me

Ways to subscribe

Like what you see?

Star ratings

0: Couldn't finish1: Want my precious reading hours back2: Could have done without it3: It was good, but it's not an essential read4: Really liked it and glad I picked it up5: Absolutely loved it and would read again

Things I’ve said

Disclaimer

Unless otherwise stated, I do not claim ownership of any images or other media.

Dani Reviews Things is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.

Dani Reviews Things is also part of The Book Depository's affiliate program.